70s BASF "Letter Cassette" & Denon S-Port Type 2 Unwrapping And Review

[@oschiri66]

In 1972 my dad went shopping and brought me home 3 of these BASF in that case. They were on sale. I was disappointed and said to him: "Oh no, 8-tracks do not fit in our recorder". He smiled, opened up one and I was happy, when I saw that familiar BASF LH cassette in it.

[@yanks1fan09]

The BASF case emulated the case they used on their Reel to Reel tapes back then. I remember my parents buying for the cassette and reel to reel. I always love the BASF logo. Great nostalgia.

[@und4287]

The standard cassette case that everyone knows was also a smaller version of the cases that Philips used for their reel-to-reel tapes.

[@kiirunavaara]

@@und4287 Or vice versa: The Philips reel to reel cases were a bigger version of the cassette cases :-) The latter ones appeared in this shape first.

[@christianrottler]

Exactly 👍

[@everkief8650]

I have a few dozen of these C90s. I dint realize that the case was designed specifically to be mailed. I just thought it was one more 70s attempt at a hip new case. Unique, like the Memorex MRX with the black flip top... groooooovvy maaaannn...

[@TheLlawlliet]

i bought one of those BASF tapes on a fleamarket here in germany recently. I was scared to open ist since the "slip cover"-foil seems stuck to the box on mine. Thanks to your video i can leave it sealed now :-)

[@squirrelarch]

Wow. Proper memory lane. BASF also had those push to open library cases (c-box?) for home and car use. Fantastic condition for its age this.

[@Musicradio77Network]

I had one of those C-Box storage box back in the 1970’s for storage. Both Scotch and BASF had those C-Box storage library boxes.

[@kiirunavaara]

BASF marketed these boxes as "KK8" (Kunststoff-Kassette 8 cm), started selling 8 cm reels in them in 1968/69, and a few months later also cassettes. For a short period, BASF cassettes were only available in these boxes, before they re-introduced the standard "Norelco" boxes again, and pretty soon, around 1973, the KK8 was phased out completely for cassettes in Europe again. Their ambition to establish them as a new standard for cassette storage had failed, because almost every other brand had stuck to the Norelco cases, and all the cassette storage systems were made with spaces that would exactly fit a number of Norelco cases, but no KK8. In the mid-70's, the US division of BASF made another attempt to establish the KK8 as an alternative cassette case format, now called "Permastore Library Box", which you could buy complete with SK 60/90/120 cassettes. Obviously not very successful either, because these are even more rare than the German ones. The LH tape was by all means intended for music - before the appearance of the first Chromdioxid cassettes in late 1971, LH was simply BASF's one and only tape for cassettes. Most recording devices were mono, and you wouldn't expect more than 10 kHz frequency response from a cassette those days anyway... so yeah, people recorded lots of music on them and were happy :-) Today, using a European 1970's deck, you can still make them sound decent. Most modern (post-1981) decks don't have a bias calibration range that can go low enough for them. The Pioneer Auto BLE is one of the few systems in modern decks that do the job. Extra nerdy facts: The tape you have is from 1970-72. Older versions had the word "hifi" instead of the black LH circle. The date 1.1.1969 on the insert refers to the latest update of the printing template with the prices for the mentioned postal services.

[@CassetteComeback]

Great insight. Thanks!

[@shanestewart4814]

Those early 70’s cassettes may not be the best for recording music, but I’m sure a lot of people back then used them for that. Now if I had one of those, I would make it more vintage by putting it into an old stereo system from the early 70’s, and if a radio station nearby was airing a rerun of Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 from something like 1971 or 1972, I would record some songs on there with Casey counting them down. It would be as if the tape had been used over 50 years ago.

[@stevemeli]

Thank you for this video Tony! I remember buying S. Port tapes in like 1994-1996 I believe. I used to buy the European version though most probably. They used to come in 2-packs (100 mins each) and the quality was superb. The shell was quite different and it was relatively not that expensive. A normal SA cassette was still probably a few cents cheaper. Thank you for all your videos and for all your time, always very informative and nostalgic.

[@powerday_Hi-B]

Дизайн кассеты у с-порта суперский конечно.. 👍

[@78rpmblog]

surprising that it is C60, we had similar cassettes sold at the post offices in the 1980s in Sweden, where I think the tape was C20 or C30 at most, also the packaging were much simpler, more like simple jiffy bags.

[@CassetteComeback]

German engineering 😉

[@kiirunavaara]

Oh yes, the yellow ones, called Postens Ljudbrev? These were C-20 and made by Track Tape.

[@78rpmblog]

@@kiirunavaara yes, that's what they were called. I haven't seen one for at least 30 years, but I remember that they were yellow

[@joelcarson4602]

I love the case. Not the most storage density friendly, but the industrial quality vibe is really cool.

[@senilyDeluxe]

these BASF boxes can also hold an 8 cm open reel tape. My dad had three of these (now I have them). I was quite surprised when like 20 years later I noticed they can also hold a compact cassette.

[@EZ647]

Hi, I have several pieces of Basf LH without SM, and SM versions, in both book and classic box. Again, it very much depends on storage, as some have white tape marks, some are fine, clean. Sonically, even if they don't reach calibration match in pitch, they are better than most Chinese type 0 cassettes. But again, very occasionally surprised by the performance in the low frequencies. Denon S-port is a pun. Sport is like a sports cassette, or S-Port is Slim Portable. I think the ambiguity was the manufacturer's intention. There are several versions for different markets and years, the older ones with a double large window, this one like you have with a large slanted window, and the latest one with an arched panoramic window, which was later "stolen" by Emtec for their CSQ and CSII cassettes. You are correct about the composition according to the HD6 model. But I don't think Denon was using dual coating compositions at that time, those were still in older cassettes like the DX7. There was a pretty good overview of the Type II tapes Denon was making in that year, and it was as follows (single layer): HD6 base oxide doped with cobalt, a medium to dark brown colored tape. (In Japan sometimes referred to as Extra Purified Crystal, or more recently EX II Dyna Purix) HD7 also referred to as Black Purified (In Japan also referred to as EX II Extra Black Purified), again cobalt doped oxide, perhaps with some secret ingredient?, the tape is really black HD8 metal type II, but the only one in the world to list the composition of a mixed mixture of cobalt doped oxide with pure metal, the tape has a slightly lighter black (grey) tint, Denon lists the creation of this tape in 1983 and its composition does not match any metal type II manufacturer, neither Taiyo Yuden, nor TDK, nor Memorex (Tandy) For the Japanese versions, the composition names may differ slightly, but all of Denon's newer Type II tapes are based on this trio of compositions, with the exception of the HG-M model. For Type I, the Denon composition overview is considerably more complicated. This Denon shells are very nice and high quality, used from about 1988-1992 for many Japanese models as well. Regards EZ

[@derekporter7658]

Brilliant forensic analysis yet again Tony! That Denon was spot on, you really couldn't tell source and cassette apart! Loved Denon cassettes as well as That's! High end quality 👍, the BASF was a novel idea, but I've seen cassette boxes like that before somewhere else, not sure, but I think Memorex US cassettes came in a similar cassette box🤔. Brilliant video as always Tony!😁👍

[@RoughJustice2k18]

I have a BASF case like that (it has a BASF chrome 60 inside complete with the red locking tab for transport) but no outside printed brand sleeve. I believe they nicknamed these "clamshell design". First time I saw a BASF LH C60 was after my old man recorded Neil Diamond "Hot August Night" off a friend's LP. He had to use 2 tapes as it was a double album. Not bad for what would now be a 50 year old tape.

[@oschiri66]

Yes, the 8 cm reel fits exactly in this box as well. No coincidence, it's intentionally constructed to be universal. There is also a hole for a metal clip for mailing.

[@CassetteComeback]

Ah, there was a split pin in there too. I wondered what that was for.

[@oschiri66]

@@CassetteComeback Yes, exactly, it's for a metal split pin. I haven't found the right word in English. ;) In German we have a lovely word for them: "Musterbeutelklammern" Say that 10 times in a row and record it on that BASF LH. ;)

[@Musicradio77Network]

That’s really! I used to have an early BASF cassette from the early 1970’s with a different label and it was a US edition. I also have three early TDK cassettes from the early 1970’s and they also sounded good. I have two cassettes of “I Love A Mystery” called “Bury Your Dead Arizona” in 2 volumes, both recorded on an early 70’s TDK C90 cassettes.

[@tracerx6324]

Sending a mixtape this way would be pretty cool. Thinking of very stylish cases or a DIY case, that's awesome. I know this cassette, but not the case version. My dad still have his very first cassettes from 1970 - 71 with the radioshows from this time recorded on them.

[@keithjones7810]

Well Tony. Thanks to you I've started using cassettes again. At the moment I'm practicing recording with job lots of used cassettes . I've just ordered a job lot of 1980,s Maxell and keeping my fingers crossed. I've got some original 1970,s UD XL2 and they still perform. I record digital on to cassette and I'm amazed at the sound. Even my 10 year old Grandson said " Grandad that sounds amazing " Thanks for your inspiring efforts.

[@apislapis]

Truly a thing of beauty Tony, a plastic fantastic case. Many thanks for sharing.

[@ScottGrammer]

The BASF box looks like a small version of the boxes that BASF used for their open-reel tapes in that era. Very similar design and same color plastic.

[@und4287]

That's because it is. There was a smaller version of those boxes for small reels, however it could accommodate a cassette as well.

[@kiirunavaara]

@@und4287 Actually the very same box will hold an 8 cm (3") reel of tape instead of a cassette. All the boxes for bigger reels were square formed and made of a harder plastic.

[@lesgl]

That BASF is a true collectors item that's for sure..

[@Agri458]

The base case is brilliant. Just that case is brilliant for library use, the denon is out of my price range, but good quality tape. Good vid as always tony!

[@danniielle]

That BASF is a great collectors piece indeed! As others have said, it very much reminds me of their open reel cases which I have a few of. As for the Denon, well, I think you know my thoughts! I'm a huge Denon fan and have been since the 80s.

[@Musicradio77Network]

Mine is the Radio Shack Realistic C90 cassettes from the 1970’s, but I love the J-card and the looks of the cassette and the shell was welded since it’s a 50-year old cassette, and on the front of the case it says “Tape Cartridge” and the description says “For use with all cassette mono and stereo recorders”, and why was the cassette was named “Tape Cartridge”, is it looked like an 8-track as a “Tape Cartridge”? I guess not.

[@TylerHartman]

I've actually got some old BASF R2R tape in the same case!

[@kirkmooneyham]

The instant the music started, and it said "Tape" on the screen, I said to myself, "sounds amazing". Not sure how I missed those back in the day, but that's a brand I wish I would have bought.

[@jasonhandy8442]

Great video 2 tapes to look out for my collection 👍 happy days Sharing the love for audio tapes👍

[@chevycaprice87]

I bought a 1967 Sony C-90 and the first thing I've done is tested it in my Denon, and it sounds very well :D I've even uploaded a video to the Facebook group.

[@ElectoneGuy]

Still have several Denon S-Port Metals in my possession.

[@batteryman2852]

1:25 That give me flashbacks on the reel-to-reel boxes my dad owned a time ago.

[@andygriffith5160]

Hugely enjoyable video, as always. Never owned a Denon cassette either back in the day (didn't frequent the audiophile shops) or in the present (silly money on eBay) but that's a fantastic shell and clearly a great cassette. I love 70s ferrics. They're just so...dirty :) They're like the audio equivalent of Super-8 film.

[@ubtrippin9980]

Always learning something new from your videos. Thanks Tony.

[@jlcougilljr]

great content Tony!! man i don't know why but i never-ever seen any of those Denon S-Port tapes in the stores in my region back in the day, always loved the Denon quality of about everything they produced.

[@kforkrish]

Always bringing great content every other week...... keep up good work man.... i appreciate very much😄

[@joeyjustin6895]

Morning Tony. Never mind Whoever is saying They don't like the tracks. They can BUGGER OFF..... Yeah

[@oschiri66]

When I got my "Revox B215" in 1986, I tried to "recycle" old tapes. That BASF from 1971 did NOT calibrate, as all other tapes I've had from that period. The oldest one that did, was an "Agfa Super" from 1972, it sounded perfect.

[@ralphreinhardt6020]

Very cool video Tony ! I enjoyed looking at the old BASF, all I can say is nice. The Denon tape was superb to my ear. Take care sir.😎👍

[@tvelektron]

I like the design of the DENON so much...

[@peterw1213]

I have one piece Denon S.PORT 100 still sealed. After this video, I'll be recording on it with good music.

[@Ale.K7]

I have a Grundig 7" reel tape with a box similar to that BASF cassette (only bigger, of course).

[@steveoszman8746]

Was one of the better cassette tapes available in my neck of the woods. The tape box would take the abuse for sure.

[@plan7a]

The S-Port means Slim-Port-able in case anyone wonders; it showed this on the back of the tape cover. Just saying!

[@anthonybrunotheodd]

I have BASF 4” reels that come in those boxes.

[@dean6816]

I think if I had to choose between a ZX9 and a Dragon I would pick the ZX9!! I can dream of owning both though!!

[@stevealexR1]

What was the supposed advantage of the BASF box over the standard cassette box?? Seems like a case of reinventing the wheel to me! I always loved early Seventies BASF cassette inlay cards particularly this one (‘71-‘73 and the subsequent one with the black top and yellow, green or blue bottom half depending on whether the cassette was a 60, 90 or 120 minute version.

[@FLH3official]

👍🏻 The BASF: I would realy love to send such a "post-cassette" to a friend now. Like a message from the past, almost impossible for him/her to read as nobody in the outside real world has a cassette player nowadays. The Denon: I guess there's a fold on the midlle of the Jcard in order to see some the fancy shell thru the case if you fold it. BTW, I realy like this shell. The future-in-the-90s.

[@connorm955]

I have that same Denon cassette, unfortunately it didn't come with its original j card and the stickers were gone.

[@peterjohnpj2778]

really good video cheers peter in australia hopefully more to come on different tech and media retro

[@robertbosson5223]

That Soda yeah..... comedy gold!

[@vinkoivomilicdiaz6932]

Very interesting classic. That German tape is better to record many "Schlager" hits.

[@samuelnason8585]

I went through alot of tapes in my time, but never came across a Denon tape

[@zsombor_99]

05:06 What is that "cassette winder" device? What's the name of it? 🤔

[@CassetteComeback]

Nagaoka, but I think they were sold under a few brands

[@zsombor_99]

@@CassetteComeback I mean, what is the generic term for that device (such as "cassette winder")?

[@joeyjustin6895]

I would say the people who are watching these should be subscribing to Tony toy chest. Only ones not subbing are the ones who aren't watching. Some didn't know your back for awhile. Butt I'll send out a memo to my followers .

[@51mgbeats32]

this channel is awesome

[@45sguy68]

Following the auto-generated closed captions, I was highly entertained by the discussion of "fairy cockside"

[@jeffshaw4039]

I like that denon tape most of what I have is TDK.

[@josephfrye7342]

ok basf stands for badische anilin and soda-fabrik which it is now rebranded as emtec which it is....European Multimedia Technologies. that is what emtec stands for.

[@426hemicuda1090]

Great video Tony.

[@nickbitten9910]

Yes indeedy- I did enjoy that

[@Rick_Todd]

Very interesting. Thank you.

[@wrcfreak2121]

Great upload

[@TheSudsy]

How you still have all your fingers I will never know.

[@mickydub3]

Just out of interest how many cassettes have you got ... " Love this channel "

[@CassetteComeback]

A lot less than I did 😆

[@TheAbandonedAccount7]

Hey man, I was wondering just how important is HX pro? In the market for a deck as no repair business will answer me. Not sure if I should prioritize HX pro or just go for something aesthetic and silver from early 80s. Not an audiophile by any means tho I do know more headroom = better recordings, but HOW MUCH better exactly?

[@CassetteComeback]

I'm sure there is a difference, but I wouldn't pass up a good, fully working, deck with provenance because it didn't have HX Pro

[@anthonylovesey1137]

I was wondering what the BASF stands for.

[@nicksubmit76]

great stuff basf 50 year

[@mielefan8811]

I have the same basf lh cassette, and I have music on it and it sounds ok. It's not the best tape but it's really okay

[@CassetteComeback]

I was surprised to be honest. It could have been just age, as these cases aren't "sealed" as such, so 50 years must have taken it's toll.

[@DaXande135]

I got some of these too, it's sounding okay, but I would definitely choose another cassette if I was to use a good quality source.

[@darinb.3273]

I'm going out on a limb here and say it is likely the size of the iron particles. In the recording studios, I think that was a huge factor as to why the recording machines where ran at least 15 ips (inches per second) or whatever the speed was at that speed drop outs, WOW and flutter and hiss was significantly reduced just from the tape speed alone. It blows my mind that 1 7/8 ips can sound as good as it does. Recording head gap has a lot to do with that also. I seem to remember two head decks comprised the gap because the head did double duty, neither of which was optimal. Even then cassettes recorded on two head decks can sound really really good.

[@Musicradio77Network]

These early 70’s BASF cassettes is more collectable than these other cassettes that I have including the early TDK C90 in the early 1970’s as well as Scotch C90 cassettes from the mid to late 1970’s, and it’s suitable for voice recording and vintage Old Time Radio shows.

[@Thanson199415]

I have the Denon S-Port type 4 metal 100 min just like that, luv that cassette. Edit: just watched the video, it’s a type 2 in the video lol 🤦‍♂️

[@CassetteComeback]

I'm sure the Type IV will be awesome too

[@paolorams767]

very very very interesting video like ever

[@Astralify]

Hey Tony! I apologize for asking it here, but what happened to the "Tony's Toy Chest" channel? It appears to be gone for me. The site is also down... :( Me and a friend of mine really enjoyed the videos on that channel as well, he is big on collecting hotwheels... I hope it will come back.

[@CassetteComeback]

It won't. The Toy Chest was a miscalculation in my part. There was no demand for what it did and I'm not into "flogging dead horses" 😆

[@AOKONE]

Where do you get all the stuff I want?

[@CassetteComeback]

www.cassettecomeback.com

[@AOKONE]

@@CassetteComeback Great answer. Everything interesting is “sold out”…..

[@MrSabenada]

Check back within a few days. A lot more interesting tapes are about to be added. I can’t restock them fast enough. Tony Cruz. Cassettecomeback.com

[@vinkoivomilicdiaz6932]

I have a BASF FERRO EXTRA I from Germany. From early 90's.

[@DaXande135]

Nice to see more CassetteComeback videos again, without these the pandemic would have been a lot more boring than it was anyways.. Well, I got some BASF LH SM and Agfa Low Noise cassettes and they definitely aren't there for music. On the Agfa I have to reduce the Bias quite much and therefore can't put much level on it. Also the level is a bit down on tape, so Dolby wouldn't work properly in order to reduce the high amount of hiss. The BASF LHs had been recorded onto back in the 1970's/1990's, but there isn't much treble, too.

[@kiirunavaara]

These are pre-IEC tapes, so they will sound dull on quite any deck from 1981 or younger. The range of the bias controls is often not wide enough to get them calibrated correctly. On a good 1970's deck which is calibrated to the old DIN reference tapes, you can still get decent sound out of the early Low Noise tapes. Don't expect a lot of headroom, but they won't sound muffled. At last, a big fraction of all prerecorded cassettes in the 70's were made on these standard tapes from BASF and Agfa, and these can still sound fine.

[@DaXande135]

@@kiirunavaara Der Name kommt mir aber bekannt vor ;-) Danke für die vielen Infos. Wenn ich bei der Agfa Low Noise relativ weit ins Negative beim Bias gehe, habe ich zwar meine Höhen wieder, aber natürlich kann ich sie nicht gerade weit aussteuern. Und das geht dann wirklich nicht viel Pegel. Allerdings verschwindet, je weniger Bias, auch der Pegelverlust im Hinterband.

[@kiirunavaara]

@@DaXande135 Ja, "High Output" wirkt im Vergleich zu späteren Bändern natürlich wie ein Witz. Aber versuche mal, auf ein noch älteres Band aus den 60ern aufzunehmen, gerne auch Spulenband PE 31, LGS 26 oder so auf 4,75 cm/s... da brachte LH-Band schon eine spürbar verbesserte Aussteuerbarkeit. Das war zu der Zeit alles noch nicht so weit, die Cassette wurde erst mit Chromdioxid und Dolby B wirklich Hifi-tauglich.

[@monsieurlehigh4912]

Maybe you can transplant an RTM Fox tape to reanimate the historic BASF.

[@CassetteComeback]

Nah, I'm going to keep it as a historical artefact.

[@FreeKraps]

A Denon cassette *gasp*

[@BilisNegra]

It's weird you're making that remark about sample tracks being chosen just to demonstrate tapes in terms of dynamic range and so on, not expecting we will musically like them... precisely now you are using these Gunnar Olsen ones. They are ridiculously cool! Is anybody really complaining about them?

[@CassetteComeback]

Oh yeah, but I've made the point now and I'm not going to give them any more air time. If you pay for something, you have a right to complain. You get it for free, you get what you're given 🙂

[@andrewlittleboy8532]

Have subscribed and enjoyed the Game Boy video!

[@joeyjustin6895]

SO I WENT TO TONYS TOY CHEST AND ITS SAYS. CHSNNEL DOESNT EXIST. I Wanted To Support You And Its Not Thier. Can you give us an update

[@CassetteComeback]

Yeah. It wasn't working. I sell on eBay now and it's much more successful and doesn't involve upkeeping an expensive custom website. Better to know you've lost than to kids yourself you'll win...

[@joeyjustin6895]

It Says Tony Toy Chest Doesn't Exist.

[@coolduder1001]

I'm starting to get annoyed with how people use Google translate. You get more accurate results if you take a picture of the item then import it into Google, instead of doing this real time translation stuff.